Mitral Valve Repair at Northwest Health: A Patient’s Story
11/2/2023
Bonnie Bacon, a 72-year-old retired bartender, considered herself a healthy, hard-working woman.
So when she started to become easily fatigued and short of breath, she knew something was wrong. Bonnie made an appointment with a primary care doctor who determined she needed specialized care and referred her to Maya Kommineni, M.D., MPH, a cardiologist with Northwest Medical Group.
“Dr. Kommineni was so thorough. She ordered many heart tests and discovered my mitral valve was leaking. That’s when she referred me to Northwest Medical Group - Cardiovascular Surgery,” said Bonnie.
When Bonnie first met her cardiovascular thoracic surgeon, she remembers being worried. “At first I was nervous, but after five minutes of being with him I began to feel relaxed,” said Bonnie. “He has such manners and is so kind.”
He explained to Bonnie that a healthy mitral valve keeps your blood moving in the right direction, but her leaky valve wasn’t closing the way it should, causing blood to flow backward into her left atrium; that’s why she was experiencing breathing issues, fatigue and dizziness.
The initial plan was to monitor Bonnie’s condition for one year, but when she started getting worse six months later, he said it was time to act. She received open heart surgery to repair her leaky mitral valve on July 14, 2023 at Northwest Health – Porter.
After surgery, Bonnie was taken to the ICU, where she recovered before being discharged.
“All of my caregivers were so concerned and compassionate throughout everything. You just don’t find doctors like him anymore. He was amazing,” said Bonnie. “And the entire ICU department was one of the best I have ever experienced. I have had quite a few surgeries, so I really do have something to compare it to.”
Today, Bonnie describes her quality of life as completely different. “It’s so easy to breathe now. I don’t have to force it. I can tell the difference and my life is definitely better,” said Bonnie. “Again, I can’t thank Northwest Medical Group and the entire ICU team at Northwest Health - Porter enough. I tell everybody about them.”
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